Karaoke Girl
by Danni1989
Summary: Elena Gilbert is a single mom and a student at the University of Atlanta. But once a week she gets to shed her image and become someone else. She vows that she's never going to let anyone into her life but when she meets Damon Salvatore he somehow gets under her skin and she doesn't know if she can go back to the way things used to be.
1. Chapter 1

"Thanks again Mrs. Neal. I'll bring the money by when I pick her up." I said as I stood in the doorway of my babysitter's apartment. It was rare to find someone so perfect to watch your kids. I was lucky when I met her.

"There is no hurry Elena, I would do it for free if you'd let me." She laughed as Scarlett ran past me to sit at her coffee table where the colouring books were sitting. Scarlett absolutely loved going to Mrs. Neal's apartment. It was a perfect solution for both of us.

"I couldn't let you, besides I budget to make sure I can afford to pay you. What else would I do with that money?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Oh I don't know, do something for yourself maybe. You don't do much like that." She said sympathy in her eyes.

"I don't need much Mrs. Neal. I have Scarlett and she's happy and healthy, that's all I need." I told her.

"Well you should have a life outside of school and that perfect little girl of yours Elena. You're young, don't let life pass you by." She sighed. We had this conversation every single time I dropped Scarlett off and I didn't foresee it changing anytime soon. But every time I told her the same thing. Scarlett was my life and I didn't need anything else. Of course I had my Friday nights when Caroline babysat so I could go out and do karaoke. I got paid to do it to bring people in to Bonnie's. It was a perfect setup, I got spending money and a couple free drinks once a week and she got people to come in and do karaoke Friday nights. I even had a reputation now. I was Karaoke Girl.

"I have to go, I'll see you between 3 and 4." I told her and she smiled and waved as I started to walk out.

"Bye mommy." Scarlett called and I blew her a kiss before leaving. I liked getting to school a bit early so I could study in the library for a while before classes started. When I was at home I liked playing with Scarlett and by the time she went to bed I had housecleaning to do and other parental things. By the time that was done there was no time for homework. So Scarlett went to Mrs. Neal's at 7:30 each morning before school so I could get some schoolwork done. My life wasn't ideal but it was my life and I had to live it. Even through my fatigue and everything else I wouldn't change it for the world. Scarlett was my world and she was all mine.

"Mrs. Neal give you the talk again?" My best friend Caroline asked me and I laughed. Caroline lived with Scarlett and I, she had been there since the very beginning. I couldn't imagine my life without her in it. She was Auntie Caroline to Scarlett and she loved her like she was her own. I was so happy that Scarlett had Caroline too because she didn't really have anyone else.

"How'd you know? Besides the fact that she always gives me the talk?" I laughed as I got in the driver's side and started the car again.

"Maybe I'll take her up Monday so that you can have a morning off from her telling you to enjoy your life. I've given up on making you go out any other night besides Friday. I understand that is the best I'm going to get and the disappointment isn't worth it anymore." She sighed dramatically. Caroline was the kind of friend who was immensely dramatic but she would drop absolutely anything to be there for Scarlett and I. She had lost a few boyfriends because of us, ranging back as far as high school. I would have a bad time and I would need her either because Scarlett wouldn't stop crying and I had no one else to call, and she would leave her date no matter what was going on and come home to me. Normally I would ask her mom but if her mom was at the station late then Caroline was my only other option. I had no one else. I was disowned after I became pregnant committing to keep my child. My parents said I was too young and they were right, but that didn't stop me. I wanted my baby despite my relationship with her father. Scarlett's father was a whole other issue. He was in college when I met him and he was my way of stepping out of my parents shadows a bit. He was my rebellious side all in one. We started dating sort of and after a couple weeks I thought I was in love so I gave him my virginity. After that he started pulling away and I started doing more things with him to keep him satisfied. Looking back on it now I shake my head at how pathetic I was. When I found out I was pregnant he told me that he didn't want a child and that he was going to pretend I never told him because he wanted nothing to do with my child. I haven't spoken to him since. I want nothing from him and he hasn't tried contacting me since the day I told him which was more than fine with me.

"You should do that." I said in response to Caroline's question.

"Good." She responded flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. When I pulled into the student parking lot and flashed my pass to the security guard manning the post to make sure only students of the university parked there. I found a spot and turned the car off.

"So are you going to the library?" She asked and I nodded. I had a scene left to read in a play I was reading for my Shakespeare course.

"Yeah, I have Shakespeare to tackle, plus that paper for European History." I sighed.

"You know I can take Scarlett out any night of the week if you want to study." She told me with a frown on her face.

"I know, I just don't like giving up any of my time with her. She's at that age where she's always learning new things and I don't want to miss anything." I explained.

"I know that. But it would be nice if you could find the time to spend time with people your own age too. Hanging out with only me isn't the same as having friends. You and I are family, we're so past that friend stage it's ridiculous, but there are a bunch of other pretty cool people here that you could befriend." She told me.

"Why do I need friends when I have you and Scarlett? I don't need anyone else in my life ever." I told her and she laughed.

"Well sure Scarlett and I can provide you with the unconditional love and friendship but everyone needs romance." She told me wriggling her eyebrows.

"I really don't. My last experience really turned me off romance forever I think. Maybe after college I'll consider it. I have my hands full trying to pass organic chemistry so I can get into med school eventually." I told her and she laughed.

"And we both know that you'll get exactly what you want out of life Elena Gilbert. If anyone deserves it, it's you." She said kissing my cheek and starting to walk over to the quad. Caroline loved people and she wasn't happy unless she was the centre of attention at school. Everyone loved her and she had more friends than she could count. It made me feel good that she chose me over everyone else to be her best friend for life. I grabbed my bag from the trunk of the car and started walking in the opposite direction as Caroline.

"Good morning Elena, how are you today?" The head librarian asked when I walked through the swinging double doors into the massive library.

"I'm fine, how are you?" I asked politely. Aside from Caroline, no one knew about my situation and I planned on keeping it that way. I wasn't here to get the sympathy vote or to make friends. I was here to get the education that my parents were certain I was never going to get because of Scarlett. I was here to prove everyone from my old life wrong. I could do it.

"Oh I'm great. I just love knowing there are some students who still use a library. You give me faith that it's not all a technological era." She said and I smiled. She was a sweet woman who refused to adhere to the technology standards. The only technology she used was the computer that she was forced to adopt when they took the old library system away. As far as I knew she didn't own a cell phone which was unheard of. I walked to the back of the still deserted library and took my usual desk in the corner. No one ever bothered me and that was more than fine with me. No one knew me and I wouldn't give up my anonymity for anything. I didn't have time for anything else in my life.

When my morning classes were over I packed up my books and walked out to my car to pick up the lunch I made for myself that morning. Caroline always bought lunch in the cafeteria but I didn't like wasting my money on that. Money wasn't exactly tight but there was always something better to buy than overpriced food in the cafeteria. On my way to my car raucous laughter echoed to me and I looked over and saw the popular table. It consisted of the kids with all the friends and all the money. I could never be part of that group by default, not that I wanted to. Caroline was on the fringe of that group, she never sat with them but they all knew her and would say hi to her when they saw her. I grabbed my brown bag lunch and walked back across the quad where Caroline was sitting at our table waiting for me.

"How was your morning?" She asked when I sat down.

"Why the hell do I have to take Shakespeare? I could understand any other language course but not Shakespeare. Stupid humanities requirement." I sighed.

"Julius Caesar still eluding you?" She asked and I laughed.

"You have no idea, and if I fail I don't get into med school. I don't understand the point." I said rolling my eyes.

"Well you're done with Shakespeare for the weekend so don't even think about. Don't mention it, it no longer exists until Tuesday." She told me and I laughed. It was easy for her to say, she wasn't at risk of failing any of her courses.

"I'll try." I told her with a smile.

"That's all I ask. I'd love it if you would not even think about school Saturday and Sunday but I don't dare ask for it." She said with a dramatic sigh.

"Tell you what, I'll finish my organic chemistry paper then I'll avoid school for the rest of the weekend." I promised.

"I'm holding you to that. Are you still catering with me Saturday?" She asked. Caroline had a catering job and I was a casual applicant. Whenever they needed me I did it, but Caroline worked every weekend. Just a little more money to keep us afloat.

"Yeah it's that Governor thing right? Monica asked if I would work it." I told her and she clapped her hands.

"Yay. I hate all the other girls." She sighed.

"Mrs. Neal already told me to take the shift and just drop Scarlett off with her." I told her.

"Oh how I love Mrs. Neal. So since you're sitting here you have to let me practice my dramatic monologue on you." She said and I sat back with my sandwich and waited for her to start. When she started I listened carefully. I could see it now, Caroline Forbes would be a star someday.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is chapter two. I have the first ten chapters written so the updates shouldn't be too far apart. I'm completely floored by the response the first chapter got, so thank you so much. This might be my favourite story I've ever written so I hope that you feel the same way.**

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 ** _Damon_**

"Hey, Salvatore are we partying tonight?" Tyler Lockwood called as he sat down at our table. This was the elite table. The top students not necessarily in grades at the University of Atlanta. A lot of us just used university as another part of the road to an easy life. I was like that somewhat, I did like my classes and I hated failure. A wonderful lesson instilled in me by my doting father.

"I'm hanging out at Bonnie's tonight. She has that drink deal on now. Besides its karaoke night and I like listening to drunks' butcher songs. It's a blast." I told him and he nodded eagerly.

"Sounds awesome, cheap drinks are always a good thing." He said sitting down with his massive lunch. The kid could eat like a pig, but thanks to his status as a member of the football team he never got fat. I didn't play sports, I was king of the campus without that distinction. It just wouldn't be fair if I was also a jock.

"Are you ditching your father's gala tomorrow night?" Tyler asked and I sighed.

"Unfortunately, not. Giuseppe says we have to make an appearance as a family. There are going to be photographers. Perks of being the family of the Governor of Georgia." I sighed. My father was Giuseppe Salvatore, Governor of Georgia, therefore my family was always in the papers for something. Maybe it's my father planting trees in a Georgia park, or picking peaches. Maybe it's my mother reading to kids in a school somewhere. Maybe it's Stefan's perfect grade in one of his many science and math classes. Or maybe just maybe it's a picture taken of me at a party somewhere drunk off my ass. They always cap those ones off with a line asking if my father being the governor is too much for his eldest son. It's not. I just refuse to change the way I live just so the cameras are happy with what they see. Pretty much every student here parties on the weekends. I want to be able to do that without having a camera around to take pictures of Damon Salvatore wasted.

"I'm ditching." Tyler said. His family was always invited to the parties my family throws. Tyler's father is the mayor of Atlanta so that's how we met. Mr. Lockwood has been the mayor for many years, even while my father was just sitting on the city council. But then he ran for governor and the rest as you say is history.

"At least you can. Maybe I'll take a date this year. We can sneak away somewhere." I uttered thoughtfully. My father wouldn't like that though and I didn't exactly enjoy disappointing him. He wasn't a bad father by any means. He was just busy.

"But that's tomorrow. For tonight let's just get pissed." Tyler suggested and the rest of the guys agreed.

"I'm not getting pissed. As much as I like pissing off my father's team, there is a party tomorrow so I try to behave when the press is out in full force. I'll have a couple drinks and listen to the karaoke but that's it." I decided after thinking about it for a few minutes. Getting drunk wouldn't help anyone. It would just be more for my family to cover up. I'm not a bad guy, I just like having fun.

"Damon." A sultry voice said from somewhere behind me. Before I located her, she perched herself on my lap and I fought the urge to push her off of me.

"Katherine." I said of the blonde perched on my lap.

"You haven't called me in weeks." She said and I wondered why she waited until now to confront me about it.

"I thought that you'd either take the hint or have attacked me about it by now." I mentioned idly.

"I was waiting for you to come to me. I never approach guys." She said with a pout.

"I also made it clear that we had a one-night stand, meaning it's never going to happen again." I told her coolly. Girls like her were only after one thing and that was the fact that she wasn't to be involved with the governor's family. Her father was on the city council and she was insanely jealous of the fact that I got to live in the governor's mansion. She would have to live without that.

"I didn't think you actually meant it." She whined.

"There are other guys you can hook up with. Go choose one." I said gesturing to the rest of my table.

"But won't you get jealous if I have sex with one of your friends?" She asked hopefully and I shook my head.

"I don't get jealous Kat." I told her and she sulked but got off my lap moving around the table to sit in a vacant seat. She was easy to brush off. Katherine Pierce would never beg and I was grateful for that. She felt that she was worth way more than that.

I heard laughter across the quad and saw Caroline Forbes sitting there with her brunette friend. Caroline Forbes was cool and she was friends with absolutely everyone but still she always sat with the brunette every single day. They came to school together and left together. Sometimes I wondered if they were romantic but I never got that vibe from them. I didn't even know who the brunette was and I was someone who prided themselves on knowing everyone in the school. I didn't even know her name. She was very pretty when she smiled or laughed, but she looked tired.

"Who the hell is she? Does anyone know?" I asked pointing the brunette out to my friends.

"No idea. She really keeps to herself. I've seen her walking to her classes and she doesn't say anything unless she's spoken to." Tyler said with a laugh.

"Yeah she's really lame." Kol shot out.

"I don't get why Caroline's friends with her. Caroline is hot and that girl is a downer." Tyler said. It was no secret that Tyler had a massive crush on Caroline but she wouldn't even give him the time of day. She told him once that she wasn't into arrogant assholes.

"How the fuck do none of us know who she is?" I demanded.

"Why do you care?" Kol demanded back.

"I don't. It just bothers me that she is so capable of being invisible. I failed at being invisible and she's succeeding in what I couldn't do." I told them and they all snickered.

"You couldn't ever be invisible Damon." Tyler laughed. They had no depth at all, there was a reason I was only friends with them here and when I was drinking. I liked people with more depth.

"Fine, I'll find someone who does know who she is." I said as I turned around and called out for my brother who was sitting a few tables over.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Who is she?" I demanded pointing at the brunette who was laughing again at something that Caroline said.

"The girl with Caroline?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah and why don't I know her? She's gorgeous but yet I've never spoken to her and neither have the rest of the guys." I asked. Stefan knew everyone too, but he knew the people from the other side of the spectrum better than I did.

"She's not your type Damon. She's not anyone's type. It's like she thinks she's better than everyone here. Caroline is the only one she speaks to aside from teachers and the odd other person who speaks to her." Stefan told me.

"Well all I got that from that is that she's not mute but almost. Give me something that matters Stefan. And her name." I instructed.

"Her name is Elena and she talks a lot to Caroline or the teachers. It's like she doesn't have time for other people in her life. I know she's intending on becoming a doctor so maybe that's why." Stefan told me and I nodded.

"So, she's a future med student named Elena. That is really all you have on her?" I demanded.

"That's all anyone knows. I've tried asking Caroline about her but she shut me down. She just told me that Elena's life is her business and if I ever want to know something I could just ask her instead. Caroline will never betray Elena's trust." Stefan told me.

"One more question Steffie, are they hot for each other, because that's something I would like to get in on." Kol asked and Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Moron. But no they're not lesbians. They're just friends. All I know is that they have a secret and neither of them will say it. I get the vibe it's Elena's secret. But that's all I know." He said before walking away.

"Thanks Stef." I called and he waved and went back to his table.

"Why does Stefan get to talk to her and I don't?" Tyler demanded.

"Because you tried and failed." I reminded him.

When my lunch hour was done I got up and grabbed my bag ready to head to class. I only had a couple more classes until I was done for the weekend and I couldn't wait. It had been a long week and I was ready to be able to sleep in tomorrow and Sunday. I may not even leave the house, I hadn't decided yet. When I got into my English course I changed my direction and took the seat next to Caroline Forbes.

"Hey." She greeted me politely.

"What's up?" I asked when I opened my book and got my pens out.

"Just class. You?" She asked.

"Same here. You catering the party Saturday?" I asked her knowing she worked for the catering company that the party planners always used for my father's gatherings.

"Yes." She answered.

"Good, at least then I'll have someone I know there." I told her and she shook her head.

"I don't get paid to hang out with the guests. I get paid to feed you, besides I'll be with Elena." She told me.  
"Elena is going to be there?" I asked.

"Yeah?" She said with a question in her voice.

"Sorry, it's just she's the only person here that I don't know anything about. She's a bit of an enigma." I said with a smirk.

"It's not my place to talk about Elena. It's her life, all I will tell her is that she was her reasons for keeping to herself. That's all you need to know." She told me her voice cooler than before. It was clear that she loved Elena.

"Okay, so we're all going to Bonnie's tonight. You should come along." I invited her and she looked at me. I thought maybe if I could befriend Caroline, I could maybe get closer to Elena. I couldn't help it anymore, I was intrigued by her.

"I can't." She told me underlining the heading she made in her notebook in purple pen.

"Why not? I just invited you out, any other plans can be cancelled." I demanded.

"Oddly enough there are people who are more important than you. I'm busy Friday nights. Every single Friday, so think twice before you ask me to come out again." She told me and I could hear fire in her voice.

"That's cool. I can take a hint." I said before I pissed her off. She ignored me for the rest of class and when we were dismissed she rushed out before I could catch her. All I got from that exchange was that there was something big in Elena's life and I needed to know what it was. I'd always loved a good mystery.

Later that night I was sitting at a table with my buddies at Bonnie's. Bonnie was an awesome woman who dropped out of college two years ago to open a bar with reasonably priced drinks. She was a favourite of college students. Then when she brought in the karaoke Fridays it didn't go over too well until she found Karaoke Girl. Karaoke girl had a voice and she drew people in for drinks. She never stayed long just long enough to get the party going and to have a drink with Bonnie. I'd never approached her because I could never get close enough, but Karaoke Girl was an enigma too.

"Damon, here's your drinks." Bonnie said dropping the tray of beers off at my table.

"Thanks Bon-Bon." I said taking a deep pull of my beer. There was no karaoke yet because everyone always waited for Karaoke girl to show up. No one wanted to steal her thunder until she was gone. Bonnie's was the most popular bar Friday nights. When she arrived she immediately went up to the bar and Bonnie handed her a beer before she went up to the karaoke machine.

"Good evening guys." She greeted and my jaw dropped.

"Dude." Tyler said his mouth agape too. I couldn't believe it but Karaoke Girl was Elena. Elena was Karaoke Girl. How had I not noticed that before?


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm in awe over the response this story has gotten, so thank you very much. Here's the next installment and I hope you enjoy it.**

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I always started my couple song set with something to get the beat going. Tonight was a little Whitney and I was glad when I saw couples get up to start dancing. I was so happy I let Caroline convince me to come out one night several months ago to do karaoke. Now I had this and I loved it. The people who weren't dancing were clapping along with the beat and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It was my first time attempting Whitney and I worried it would be a total disaster. I didn't have to worry it seemed. When the song ended I took a sip of my beer and cued up my second song.

"How is everyone doing tonight?" I asked as I waited for my next song to start up. I always did a slow love song in the middle because once the party started there wouldn't be any love songs for the couples to dance too. Just because I didn't have someone didn't mean that no one else had someone. The cheers erupted and the first chords of "Can't help falling in love with you" started. It was my go-to love song because it was so simple to sing. I loved it. The dance floor filled up with couples holding each other as I sang into the microphone while watching the screen for the lyrics. I knew the lyrics to the song, but I was doing karaoke so I felt I should use the machine provided. Once I sang the final few words I took another drink and stood in front of the microphone again.

"What do you say to getting the party started again?" I asked and the bar cheered. Bonnie was standing behind the bar grinning at the cheers. People were coming up and refilling their drinks and taking their seats. I saw a few people from school sitting there including Damon Salvatore. Caroline had told me when we got home today that he was asking about me. I just couldn't understand why he would care. He probably didn't. I was unattainable and he liked a challenge. I cued up some vintage Shania and took a hold of the mic again as the song started up. I got a portion of Bonnie's tips for doing this and her tips were always high during Karaoke Girl's performance. I belted out the upbeat tune moving around on stage to entertain the audience. I always hated the final song of Karaoke Girl's performance because that meant it was almost over for another week. I finished off the song with a little bit of attitude with my hand on my hip before putting the microphone back on the stand and opening the floor for everyone else.

"Great job Lena." Bonnie said grabbing her tip jar from under the table and giving me the entirety of the jar.

"That's too much." I said with a shake of my head.

"And you say that every week and you're going to lose again. I'm open for several more hours yet and you're leaving. You deserve the first couple hours of proceeds." She told me shoving the crumbled bills into my hand.

"Fine. But I'm going to head out. I have homework to do and Scarlett should be asleep by now." I told her and she smiled.

"I'll see you next week." She told me and I walked to the door. I lived just down the street from Bonnie's, and when I got outside one of the two bouncers stepped away from the door.

"You ready to head out already?" Bill asked and I nodded.

"You don't have to keep walking me home." I told him.

"Yes I do. Bonnie would fire me if she knew you were walking home alone. It's not that small town you grew up in. Bad things happen to girls who walk home alone here." He told me and I sighed. I got the same lecture every single week and to be honest I liked that the big guy walked me back to my apartment. It made me feel safe. Ernest would be fine watching the door for a few minutes by himself. He always was. He walked me right to the door before turning and walking right back to the bar. I could see the lights from where I was. I unlocked the door and slipped inside before walking up the stairs and quietly unlocking the door.

"How was it?" Caroline asked from the couch where she was watching a movie with the volume down low.

"It was awesome. Damon Salvatore and his friends were there tonight." I said with a frown.

"He's there every week, it's just this week you noticed him because you knew he was asking about you. Did he recognize you?" She asked and I shrugged.

"I don't know. I left right after." I said taking the crumbled bills out of my purse and putting them in the box I hid all my tip money in.

"How much did you get tonight?" She asked as I counted out the bills.

"$180." I told her and she grinned.

"It totally pays to sing a couple songs." She said as I sunk into the couch beside her.

"I enjoy it." I said with my head on her shoulder.

"I know you do. You don't have to come with me tomorrow if you really don't want to. Damon Salvatore is probably going to try to talk to you." She offered and I shook my head.

"I want to come to work. Besides Mrs. Neal would probably kill me if I changed my mind now. She has this big idea to take Scarlett to the park." I told her and Caroline laughed.

"I wouldn't want to piss her off. That's for sure." Caroline joked and I agreed with her.

"Me neither. I'm kind of scared of her to be honest. But I'm beat, I'm going to head to bed." I told her standing up and stretching.

"Alright, I'll see you in the morning." She told me as she sank into the couch to finish watching her movie. Before I went to bed I went into Scarlett's room and gave my baby girl a kiss goodnight. She was fast asleep with her stuffed unicorn clenched tightly to her side and her blanket with a hole in the one corner in her other hand. My girl couldn't sleep without either of those 2 items.

"I love you to the moon and back sweetheart." I said into the darkness before shutting her door and going to my room next door to hers. I changed into my pyjamas and climbed into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

The next morning, I woke up to two small hands on my face.

"Mama its time to wake up." She said and I opened my eyes to see my miracle smiling down at me. Her hair was messy and she looked happy.

"Why?" I asked her.

"Because I made you breakfast." She told me and I had to smile at her.

"Oh, you did, did you? What did you make?" I asked her and she smiled.

"Toast and yogurt. I'm not old enough to use the stove yet." She told me and I had to smile at her.

"Good girl. Why did you make breakfast?" I asked her as I sat up and wiped the sleep from my eyes.

"Because you're a good mommy and I wanted to show you how much I loved you." She told me matter of fact.

"I love you very much baby girl." I said kissing her.

"I'm not a baby anymore mommy. I'm a big girl now. I'm in school." She told me.

"I know but you're always going to be my baby no matter how big you get." I alerted her.

"Even when I'm big like you?" She asked.

"Even when you're big like me. But I guess I should go eat my breakfast and you should go wake up Auntie Care." I told her and she jumped off the bed and ran across the hall to Caroline's room. I heard the moment she jumped on Caroline, she always made this shocked spluttering sound when Scarlett did that.

"Alright alright monkey I'm awake." She said groggily. I quickly got out of bed and made it into the hall at the same time as Caroline. We walked down the hall with Scarlett skipping ahead of us. She always had so much energy in the mornings, I wished I was more like her. She could wake up incredibly early and be happy all day until bedtime came around.

"Sit." She ordered us and we both sat down. She poured us both a glass of orange juice before setting it in front of our plates.

"You're getting much better monkey, you didn't burn the toast this time." Caroline said impressed.

"I know. I'm getting good at breakfast." She said proudly as she sat down with us.

"So, are you still okay with going over to Mrs. Neal's house tonight so I can go to work?" I asked Scarlett. She finished chewing her toast before answering with a wide grin.

"I love Mrs. Neal's house. She lets me eat ice cream and colour in colouring books. Whenever I go over there at night we always have a dance party." She told me and I had to laugh. I knew they got up to something whenever she went over there but neither of them would ever tell me.

"Oh, you do, do you?" I asked and Scarlett clapped a hand over her mouth.

"You didn't hear that. It was a secret." She said and I nodded and made a show of zipping my lip.

"If I were you, I'd be more worried about Auntie Care. She's a blabbermouth." I warned her. Scarlett's eyes were wide as she turned to Caroline and begged her not to tell anyone about what she did at the babysitter's house.

Before we took Scarlett to Mrs. Neal's house, we went to the park to play for a while. It was a Saturday afternoon tradition. I was pushing her on the swing while Caroline sat on the swing next to her.

"I'm going higher than Auntie Care." She teased which prompted Caroline to kick off and start trying to catch up to Scarlett. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and stopped pushing her.

"Pump your legs sweetheart, I have to answer the phone." I said to her. She started pumping her legs to propel herself higher on the swing as I glanced at the unknown number on my phone.

"Hello?" I greeted.

"Elena, how are you? I wasn't sure if you were going to pick up?" The voice said.

"I wouldn't have if I'd known it was you." I told him.

"Come on Lena, you know there is too much between us for you to ignore me." He told me and I fought the urge to just hang up on him now.

"What do you want Liam?" I demanded. I watched Scarlett protectively. She was all mine and there was no way I was sharing her now.

"I want us to be a family. I was immature back when you told me you were pregnant. I was in college and I wanted my youth. I'm done now. Now I want what I could have had back then." He said and he wasn't fooling me.

"You know I am where you were six years ago Liam, except that I found it in myself to be a parent and a student. I've done it all by myself for the past six years and even the nine months before that I was alone. I've gotten so used to being a single parent that no matter what you say I am not giving you anything." I told him. There would be no changing my mind. He didn't even stick around to see her. He was gone the second I told him I was pregnant. He didn't get to be here now when the first few years were up.

"Elena, I was immature. You've always been more mature than me. I loved you, I just couldn't be a good parent." He insisted.

"No Liam. There is absolutely nothing you can say that will make me let you be in her life. I'm sorry but it's true. Scarlett is my daughter and I'm not giving anything up. As far as she's concerned she doesn't have a daddy and that's how it's going to stay, at least where you're concerned." I told him firmly. He didn't have a leg to stand on and I knew it. He abandoned her before she was even born.

"I will get to meet my daughter Elena. I promise you that." He told me.

"You do what you have to, but just know I will fight you. I will make sure that you never get to see her." I told him my voice low so that Scarlett couldn't hear me. She was having fun and I wasn't going to let Liam confuse her. He made his choice and now I made mine. Caroline looked over her shoulder and saw me gripping my phone. She jumped off the swing which excited Scarlett and walked over to me.

"What's up?" She asked cautiously.

"You'll never guess who just called me." I said keeping my voice level.

"Who?" She asked.

"Liam." I answered.

"What the fuck did he want?" She asked softly.

"He wants us to be a family. I told him to bring whatever he wants, be it lawyers or money, whatever. He can bring it but I will still fight him off. He's not touching a single hair on my little girls head. She's all mine." I swore.


	4. Chapter 4

**I am completely floored by the response to this story, so as a reward I am putting another chapter up a couple days early. I love how much you guys love this story, and it really is my favourite out of all the multi-fics I've written. Thank you so much for the continued support in my writing, I am so happy that you guys all like it and are still reading. As always let me know what you think, I absolutely love hearing from you all.**

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"Damon are you almost ready?" My father called from the door of my bedroom. My bedroom was two smaller bedrooms combined into one to make something that resembled a second master. My parents decided that if Stefan got a whole second room in the basement that was essentially his study then I got a giant bedroom with a kickass en-suite.

"Yeah, just tying my tie." I told my dad as I walked to the door. The deal was that I was on good behaviour most of the time, and I went to all events without complaint. It was an easy deal to adhere to because I didn't particularly enjoy pissing off the press which in turn made my father's life difficult. There were times I went out and maybe had a little too much fun, but I never expected the press to be there. They always just were and I still felt that I shouldn't have to completely change the way I live my life for this new life. I opened the door and walked out with my father who looked satisfied with my appearance. I knew I wore a suit well and I knew my father was happy with it as well.

"We're just waiting on Stefan, he's never quite as put together as you are, son." My father told me and it was one of the first compliments I'd gotten recently. Compliments were more Stefan's gig than mine. He got complimented on his school life, I got complimented on how well I pulled off a suit. When we got downstairs Stefan was standing in front of my mother getting his tie tied properly. My mother couldn't stand things being messy or out of order. Stefan's tie was definitely out of order.

"There we go, much better." She said when she tied the perfect Windsor.

"Are we ready to go?" My father asked and my mother teetered off in her four-inch heels to retrieve something from the sitting room.

"Now I'm ready." She said stuffing a tube of lip gloss into the tiny silver purse she was carrying. I would never understand the point of tiny purses like that. What was the point of a bag that couldn't actually carry anything but a tube of lip-gloss? I also didn't understand the point of suitcase sized bags either. Maybe it was a guy thing.

"Alright, we will make our entrance as a family and take a couple photos, then you are free to socialize as you wish. You may leave early as long as you socialize for a while beforehand. I don't expect you boys to stay all night as it's not really your crowd. The press just needs to see us arrive as a family." My father explained and I was happy I could get out of there at a reasonable hour. Maybe I could go have a few drinks at Bonnie's before I had to go home that night. When my father's spiel was finished we got into the waiting limo and the driver shut us in there.

"Boys you will be on your best behaviour. Damon no canoodling with the staff again." My mother shot out and I rolled my eyes.

"What the hell is canoodling?" I asked and she just sighed and rolled her heavily made up eyes. I didn't enjoy pissing off my father but it was too easy with my mom. She was all about images and I loved messing up her image of the perfect family.

"That is not the point. The staff is not there to be your own personal toy." She said coolly and I saluted her as my father took her hand.

"Damon knows that. That is why I am not requiring the boys to stay all night. Young men get bored at events like this and they need to spend time with people their own ages." My dad assured my mom. She relaxed into the leather as the drive continued.

"If you don't mind I plan on staying all night. There is much to learn from the dignitaries that are coming." Stefan cut in and I had to roll my eyes again. Stefan was a kiss ass but as his brother I chose not to say anything. People didn't respect ass kissers for the most part.

When the car stopped and the driver opened the door we all got out like the picture-perfect family. We walked up the steps into the hall that the party was being held in and posed together to snap the photo that would probably end up in the society pages tomorrow. The hall was packed with people talking and laughing. I knew the conversation would be dull as fuck but I would do as I was supposed to and regale them with stories of college life.

"Caroline is here." Stefan said walking past me looking excited. Between Tyler and Stefan, Caroline had enough potential suiters to keep herself occupied for a long time. It just didn't seem like she wanted to be with either of them. I saw the brunette trailing after Caroline and I grinned. Elena was here and I wanted to speak to her. Now that I knew quiet Elena from school was Karaoke Girl I needed to know more. She didn't look happy as she spoke to Caroline who seemed to be trying to comfort her.

"Evening ladies." I greeted them when I walked over under the guise of seeing what they were offering on their trays. Elena had some sort of quiche it looked like and Caroline had crab cakes.

"Good evening Sir." Elena greeted me, making eye contact. She was in business mode, I was sure that was the only reason she was speaking to me.

"What are those?" I asked her and she smiled politely.

"It is mini quiche. I have heard that they are spectacular." She told me and I nodded. I didn't know how to broach a real conversation with her and it didn't help that she didn't seem to want one.

"Maybe I'll try one." I said picking one up off of her tray.

"It's a good choice, but I better circulate. It's against the rules to congregate on one side of the room." She told me before brushing past me and into the crowd.

"What is up with her?" I asked Caroline.

"It's not my place to talk about it, but let's just say she had a horrible day. So, don't blame her if she's a little bit on the bitchy side tonight." She told me. I was impressed that she was speaking to me about Elena at all, but I wasn't going to voice that.

"Does she have something against me? I just want to know if I did something to offend her someway." I asked Caroline and she chuckled.

"If you haven't noticed she doesn't exactly socialize with anyone but me. So, it's not you, it's her." She said to me.

"She's a complete enigma. The only thing I could think of is that she's super shy as to the reason she doesn't hang out with anyone but you at school, but then it turns out that she's Karaoke Girl so I know she isn't shy in crowds. I don't get it." I said genuinely confused. I wanted to know Elena. She was a mystery I was intending to solve.

"Elena doesn't have time for social relationships she tells me all the time. She's going hard as a pre-med student so she can get into med school. She only has time for school and one other thing in her life besides me." She told me and Caroline wasn't helping my confusion.

"I still don't understand." I said and she shook her head.

"You don't have to. It's something that Elena and I as her best friend deal with together. You just have to appreciate it any time she decides that she does have time to speak to someone else. But between you and me, Elena is the best person in the whole world. She has given up so much of herself to everything that has happened to her. She deserves a break. So, if you plan on cracking the mystery that is Elena Gilbert, you better be planning on doing it for her not for you because if you hurt her I will rain terror down on you so hard that you won't know what hit you." Caroline warned me and I was impressed.

"Noted." I said.

"Good, but like Elena said I have to go circulate because I don't feel like getting yelled at for staying in one spot." She said before striding off. At least out of that lecture, I got one thing. I now knew her last name, not that that would help me out much.

"Damon looking good. Your father would be impressed with how you look tonight." My dad's assistant said appraising my suit. David was flamingly, flamboyantly gay and happily living together with the love of his life. I enjoyed him and he always made sure to tell me how good I looked just in case my parents didn't.

"Thanks. Where's Mike tonight?" I asked and he chuckled.

"When I invited him, he rolled his eyes and all of a sudden had the flu. He hates these things. He'd rather stay home and watch documentaries and plan his next project." He told me with a roll of his eyes but even I could see the adoration in his eyes when he mentioned Mike's name.

"I'm with Mike on that. I hate these things. I'm making my escape when it's socially acceptable to leave." I told him.

"Ah you men. You guys think that dressing up is pointless and these parties are wastes of time. But I see them as an opportunity to make people see who you are." He said fixing his perfectly slicked hair.

"I don't like fashion shows." I said and he laughed again.

"Oh, but I definitely do. You're much more of a Mike than a me. It's a shame really, you'd be a damn good protégée." He sighed before clapping me on the shoulder and walking away. He was the only one from my dad's office that I enjoyed. David was level-headed and funny. He talked to me like I was on his level, instead of just being the kid of his boss. A member of the wait-staff walked by and I snagged a glass of champagne from the tray and sipped it. I was more of a beer drinker but if I didn't appear to be socializing then my mother would have words with me later on. She would think that I was plotting my escape which really is what I'm doing.

"You could relax a little." My mother's cool voice said from somewhere behind me as she adjusted the collar on my shirt.

"We both know how I feel about these things." I said and she shook her head.

"Stefan doesn't like them either but look at him. He's a natural out there." She said with a shake of her head and I hated being compared to my brother. He was a people pleaser and that worked for him. I was more into things for myself and that worked for me. We were two different people but my mother didn't seem to get that. Even my dad understood it and he was overworked to the point of working countless hours per day every day to keep the great state of Georgia running smoothly.

"I think it's about time I headed out." I told her.

"It's so early." She said disapproval colouring her voice.

"Dad said I just had to stay long enough to make my presence known then I could leave, unless you want a repeat of last time." I reminded her of the time I screwed one of the wait-staff in the kitchen because I got bored. I normally didn't do stuff like that, but I'd felt I had no choice that night.

"Fine, you can leave. Our car is waiting outside for us, just have him take you wherever it is you're going. I have no doubts that you're heading home." She said unhappily.

"Definitely not. I have the rest of Saturday evening to do something without the threat of the press. They're all here." I told her before kissing her cheek and walking back through the crowd.

I found myself at Bonnie's like I'd planned but none of my friends were there. They'd found another party to hang out at so I ordered a beer and sat back. I didn't need them to drink with me. I was completely content just having a couple drinks on my own.

"Hey man, thought there was that big party tonight." My friend Klaus said sitting down at my table.

"I escaped. I didn't think you'd be here tonight so I didn't call." I said and he brushed it off. He didn't go to school with me, he worked as a mechanic at a shop on the outskirts of town. We'd been friends when we were kids but then my dad joined politics and moved us into the rich area of Atlanta. We'd lost touch with each other for a few years but I'd found him again a couple years ago. He was the only person I was friends with that I actually liked.

"I wasn't planning on it. I needed a beer before I picked Bex up at the airport. She's coming in now and you know how she drives me crazy." He said.

"What's Rebekah doing back here?" I asked curiously. Last, I'd checked Klaus's sister moved back to the UK to finish her schooling.

"Vacation. She needed to get away from London and here she has a place to stay. She's here for two weeks. I'm not prepared to find mascara and other feminine things lying around my place." He shuddered.

"Put her up in a hotel. I'll even help you out." I offered and he shook his head.

"I already thought of that, but my mama said absolutely not. Rebekah is coming here to see me, not to live at a hotel." He mimicked his mom.

"Wish I could help you out man." I said.

"It'll be fine. She is my baby sister and I do like spending time with her. She wants to try to rekindle her romance with Donovan while she's here for the two weeks. I told her not to play him like that, but she said it's not a game. She really cares for him apparently." Klaus told me as he drained the last sip from his bottle.

"There's not much you can do to stop her though. If Matt lets himself get caught up in her again then that's his problem. He knows she always goes back home again and that isn't going to change for anyone." I said.

"I know, but I better head out. Her plane lands in twenty minutes or so. I'd hate to be late to pick her up." He said as he stood up and walked away. I sat alone for a while longer, ordering myself another beer in the process.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is chapter 5. Thank you yet again for the amazing response this story has received.**

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"This is so awesome. I love Mrs. Neal." Caroline enthused as we got ready to leave. We weren't required to stay all night, and it was still early. An hour ago, Mrs. Neal had called to ask me if Scarlett could have a sleepover. I was resistant at first because I didn't want to be a nuisance to Mrs. Neal but she insisted. She told me she was lonely so often since her grandkids lived so far away and she would love to have Scarlett overnight. She also told me to go out and have some fun so I agreed to let Caroline take me to Bonnie's.

"It's going to feel so weird not having her jump on me so early in the morning." I said.

"Well then you can go get her and bring her home and she can jump on you as much as she wants. She even told you that she wanted to have a sleepover." Caroline reminded me and I sighed and nodded. I was okay with her spending the night over there. It was just weird since she'd never had a sleepover anywhere before tonight. I wasn't worried, I just missed her. We drove our car home and walked back over to Bonnie's. I knew I could get the bouncer to walk us home afterwards anyway so I wasn't worried. When we got to Bonnie's Bill opened the door and we walked through.

"Where do you want to sit? Our options are standing or at the bar." I asked her seeing the packed place. Bonnie had the cheapest beer in town so she was always busy.

"Or we could join Damon." She said pointing Damon Salvatore sitting by himself. There were only three beers on the table so it looked like he was alone.

"Do you want to go sit with Damon?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"It doesn't matter to me." She said.

"Caroline, if you want to spend time with Damon then we'll go sit with him." I said with a roll of my eyes.

"Alright let's go. But if you think I'm into him, you've got it all wrong. Besides he's not into me." She said her blue eyes twinkling. I let that one go and let her lead me through the crowd to Damon's table.

"Hey." He greeted us when he saw us approaching.

"Mind if we join you? Too many people hit on us up at the bar." She asked and he nodded and motioned for us to sit down.

"Let me get you guys a drink." He offered waving to Bonnie who brought over two beers for us and a glass of water since she knew I liked having water when I drank. I liked pretending I could wash the alcohol out of my system with the water. I'd only have one drink then I'd drink a big glass of water. Then maybe I'd have another drink.

"Thanks." I said.

"I feel like dancing." Caroline declared and I shook my head. I hated dancing. Honestly, I'd rather stay here with Damon then dance out there. She laughed and got up and twirled her way onto the dance floor and I laughed and shook my head.

"How are the two of you friends? You're about as opposite as you can get." He asked with a chuckle. He saw it as a completely innocent question but he didn't know my backstory.

"I used to be like her." I told him.

"What happened?" He asked and it actually seemed like he was genuine.

"I don't talk about my life with people who aren't my friends." I told him and he smiled.

"What if I told you that you intrigue me? I've wanted to get to know you since I found out that the shy girl at school was Karaoke Girl. When I found out there was no way you were keeping your distance because you were shy, I had to know your story." He told me and I shook my head.

"You don't want to be friends with me." I told him.

"Why not?" He asked and I sighed.

"Because I have no time to be friends with someone. I have had other friends besides Caroline and our relationships all fizzled out because I had no time for them." I told him hoping that would make him run in the opposite direction.

"I'm really easy to be friends with Elena. I wouldn't even ask for any of your time as long as you said hi to me when you saw me walking on the quad or in school." He told me.

"You don't want to be my friend. I'm lame." I said.

"I very much doubt that." He argued.

"I don't party. I don't go out. The only time I do anything for myself is Fridays when I come do three songs of Karaoke and that is mostly for the money. Bonnie pays me well to be Karaoke Girl. After that I go back home and I live my life until Friday when I get to be free for an hour or so again." I told him.

"What do you have that keeps you trapped Elena?" He asked worried about me now.

"I'm not trapped Damon. I love my life. I'm happy with what I have. I get to go home and see the most beautiful face in the world who looks at me like I hung the moon. I have the kind of love that no one should be able to live without. I have a person who depends on me and needs me and I would rather do nothing in my life for myself than to fail her." I said fishing through my purse for my phone. I turned the screen on so that the screensaver was visible. I slid it across the table and his eyes widened.

"You're a…" He started but it's like he couldn't get the word out.

"I'm a mom." I told him and he shook his head and smiled.

"Well now that definitely didn't dissuade me from wanting to be your friend. Now I think you're some sort of superhero. How the hell do you balance pre-med classes plus being a mom to what appears to be a very happy little girl?" He asked and I was impressed with his reaction to Scarlett.

"It's hard. But a large part of it is Caroline. She's been there for me since day one and even before that. She lives with me and Scarlett and helps me out. But I also have a really good babysitter who loves her. It's a mutual thing because Scarlett loves her too. They're having a sleepover tonight which is why I can be here tonight. But we get up early in the morning and I take Scarlett to Mrs. Neal's and go to school two hours early to work on my school work. I don't like losing any of my time with her so I don't do any work until she goes to bed. Then I make my lunch and clean up the house so that it's all ready to go for the next day. If there is still time I'll do a bit of school work and then go to sleep. Then I do it all over again the next day." I explained.

"You are incredible. I'm wondering if I'm good enough to be your friend." He teased and I laughed. It had been so long since I'd laughed at something a guy said. I was used to avoiding men at all costs because I had no time for them.

"You're good enough. But I do ask one favour though. I don't want anyone to know about Scarlett. There are reasons I've kept her secret. I just don't want anyone to look at me differently. I'm just a normal student, to them I'm just some sort of obsessive studier who doesn't want personal relationships. I'd like to keep Scarlett out of their knowledge." I told him and he agreed readily.

"Can I ask you one other question though?" He asked and I knew what he was going to ask.

"Her father's name is Liam. He didn't stick around at all. I told him I was pregnant and then he left and told me he didn't want kids." I told him and he cursed.

"That poor little girl." He muttered under his breath.

"She's only ever had Caroline and me but I don't think she's missed out on anything." I said.

"But you shouldn't have had to be alone in all of this. Didn't your parents help you out?" He asked and that was another tough subject.

"They disowned me when they found out I was keeping her. They would have been fine with my aborting her but they weren't fine with me being a mother. So, I moved out of their house and into Caroline's with her mom. I haven't been back in Mystic Falls since I graduated." I told him.

"Well now you make total sense to me. Thanks for telling me all of that and I promise to keep your secret." He said as Caroline was making her way back over to us with three more beers.

"Are we friends yet?" She asked and I laughed.

"We are. I even told him about Scarlett." I said and she covered her mouth with her hand in shock as she let out a gasp.

"Oh my God." She said her eyes wide causing Damon and me to laugh.

Monday morning my routine started the same way it usually did. I got showered and dressed then went to wake up Scarlett and get her ready. By the time we were ready Caroline was in the kitchen making breakfast for all of us.

"So, you're still okay without the car today?" She asked and I remembered that she wasn't going to classes today so she could go celebrate her grandma's birthday in Mystic Falls. I couldn't afford to skip classes so I wasn't going with her.

"Yeah, just drop me off at school after we drop off Scarlett. I can take a bus to Mrs. Neal's after class and then we'll take a bus home." I told her and she nodded. She felt bad about taking the car but I assured her over and over again that it was fine. After dropping off a very excited Scarlett she drove me to school and let me out.

"I'll see you tonight." She said when I grabbed my backpack. I had opted out of bringing a lunch today, deciding that for once I'd buy lunch.

"Have fun with grandma." I said. Caroline's grandma was mine in many ways as well. I'd spent pretty much my entire life as an honorary member of Caroline's family, then after Scarlett was born I was officially family they said even though Scarlett had no blood relation to any of them. I went about my normal rotation and immediately went to the library, saying hello to the librarian as I did every morning.

My day was normal until noon when Mrs. Neal called me and said there was a man at her door demanding to see Scarlett, saying that he was her father.

"Is his name Liam?" I demanded. I heard her demand to know his name but I didn't hear his answer, it was too muffled due to the phones.

"Yes, he said his name is Liam." She told me.

"Don't let him see her. He has no rights towards her at all. I'll be there I as soon as I can." I said panicked.

"Okay. He's outside on the steps." She told me and I nodded. I knew Mrs. Neal would never let him see her so I knew that was safe. I rushed out of the cafeteria without any food and stopped. It would take me forever to run there and there were too many stops on the route to Mrs. Neal's house to take the bus. I saw Damon sitting at his table and knew I had no choice but to ask him. I took a deep breath and ran over to his table.

"Elena, what's up?" He said with an easy grin under he saw the panicked look on my face.

"I need your help." I said.


	6. Chapter 6

**_So sorry for the wait on this. I have no excuses, because it's been written since before I posted the first chapter. I hope you're all still here with me, and as always let me know what you think of this._**

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 ** _Damon_**

I knew if she looked like that and she was asking for help then it must be important. I was almost positive it had something to do with her daughter.

"What do you need?" I asked.

"I need you to drive me somewhere, please tell me you have a car here." She pleaded.

"Yeah I have a car. Let's go." I said as I took her elbow and lead her away from the table. She kept pace with me and she still looked worried.

"Thank you for this Damon." She said and I brushed it off.

"Where am I going?" I asked her and she reiterated an address.

"I'm really sorry about disturbing your lunch Damon. But Liam, Scarlett's father is here trying to force my babysitter to let him see Scarlett. I need to get her out of there." She told me and I couldn't believe the audacity of that asshole. He walked out and now he thought he had some sort of rights to a child he abandoned.

"Don't worry about my lunch, let's get your kid." I said as I followed her directions which were crystal clear. I couldn't get past the idea that I was about to meet her daughter, an honour I don't think she bestowed on just anyone.

When I parked the car, she didn't even wait for it to be turned off before she was getting out.

"Would you wait here if I asked you too?" She asked me and I nodded. I didn't want to cause her anymore problems, but if I saw the asshole doing anything or saying anything inappropriate I would get out and help her in any way I knew how. I watched as she pushed past a guy who was standing at the door. I could hear him yell after her but she didn't respond. From my spot, I saw an older lady wave a phone at him, I could tell that she was threatening to call the police if he didn't leave immediately. The guy who I was assuming was Liam put his hands in the air and walked down the stairs to the black sedan behind me. Asshole had money judging by the make of the car. Penniless deadbeat dads didn't typically drive shiny black Audi's, only deadbeats with money did. I saw Elena come out the door and hug the lady while holding the hand of a little girl. I also saw that she had a booster seat in hand. When they got to the car, Elena got Scarlett situated in the back then pushed the seat back so she could get in.

"Everything okay?" I asked her concerned.

"Well let's just say it's not over. I just don't want to talk about it with her in the car. She doesn't need to know everything that's going on." She told me and I understood.

"Well why don't you introduce me? It's not too often I get to have two beautiful girls in my car. Especially two that look almost identical." I said and I saw the little girl smile. She was the spitting image of her mom, that girl was very lucky.

"Alright, Scarlett why don't you introduce yourself sweetheart?" Elena asked her little girl. She sat forward and reached out her hand to me.

"Hello, my name is Scarlett Rae Gilbert, it's a pleasure to meet you. What is your name?" She asked shaking my hand as Elena was trying to hold back laughter.

"My name is Damon Salvatore. It's a pleasure to meet such a beautiful young lady." I introduced myself shaking her hand firmly. When she was done she sat back Elena put her seatbelt on and I started the car. "So, do you want me to take you home?"

"I was thinking we'd go for lunch somewhere. My treat for rescuing us back there." She suggested. I agreed with her but there was no way I was letting her pay for a meal for me.

"Where do you want to go?" I asked and Scarlett's eyes brightened in the backseat.

"Sweetheart, we're going to let Damon pick this time." Elena said to Scarlett and she pouted a bit.

"We can go wherever she wants." I said with a laugh.

"She wants to go to the park by our place. There are food trucks there and she loves it. She thinks she gets ice cream after she eats and she plays on the equipment. It's the only place she truly loves going to eat." She told me and that settled it for me.

"The park it is." I said getting directions from her. The second Elena had Scarlett out of the backseat she was rushing towards a table.

"This is our table. We always sit at this table." She told me and I nodded.

"So what does everyone want to eat?" I asked.

"I will come with you to show you. I know what mommy and I like to eat." She said hopping up and taking my hand. I was startled for a second but she was so impossible not to like. I let her lead me over to the burger truck and she told me what to order for her and Elena. I ordered myself a burger too and I was going to wait until Scarlett pulled me away to the fry truck. "The burgers will be done when we're done ordering fries, so while the fries are cooking we'll go get out burgers then come back." She explained. She had me order onion rings and mushroom fries for her and her mom, citing that they always shared and I ordered mine. Like Scarlett said by the time we put our order in, our burgers were ready so I went and grabbed those.

"Now we go get drinks and when we get those the fries will be done." She told me and I obeyed. Scarlett ordered both her and Elena a bottle of water, so I had the same thinking there was a reason for it. Like she said by the time that was done the fries were up so we grabbed those and went back to Elena.

"That's quite a process." I said when we sat down. She laughed and nodded her head.

"We do it once a week." She told me. We all ate, throughout the whole meal Scarlett was regaling me with her life story.

"Mommy can I go play for a little while?" She asked and Elena nodded, pulling the rest of Scarlett's onion rings across the table. The little girl managed to eat her whole burger but only ate a couple onion rings so Elena started finishing them off.

"Do you want some? Otherwise I'm going to eat them all and I'll look like a pig." She said and I laughed and took a couple. I didn't think it was possible for her to look anything but perfect. She was gorgeous and she clearly didn't know it.

"So, do you want to talk about it yet?" I asked.

"Liam wants to go for full custody. He has a team of lawyers behind him who are convinced that if they find enough dirt on me they can take her. I can't even afford one lawyer let alone a whole team of them." She told me.

"But he's never been there for Scarlett. How does he even have a leg to stand on in court?" I asked.

"He thinks he can prove that I'm a negligent mom. He says he can find witnesses to it and then I'll lose her completely. Even visitation will be up to the courts." She told me and the idea pissed me off.

"What are your other options? Assholes like that don't ever appear with an easy option for all involved. He knows you can beat him in court so there is always an option he wants more." I said and she sighed.

"He wants visitation and somewhat shared custody. He wants half of the holidays and other times she's out of school. But I just can't imagine lying down and letting him take any time with her. He's not supposed to be here at all." She told me and I understood where she was coming from.

"Well tell you what then, if you want to fight him then you fight him. I'll help you out however I can." I told her.

"I couldn't let you do that." She said. I looked over at Scarlett who was happily chasing another kid around the playground. She was happily distracted so I took Elena's chin in my hand.

"I can help you Elena. I have the money and the resources. I could even testify on behalf of you being an incredible mom. I don't want to see that little girl's life change for the worse. Please let me help you." I implored her.

"Why do you want to help me?" She asked finally.

"Because even though you've made no indication that you feel the same way, I like you Elena. I don't want anything about you to change, and that includes the way you live your life. Scarlett is the biggest part of you and I don't want her to lose you or vice versa. I am entangled in your life now, at least from my standpoint. Let me help you." I pleaded with her.

"Okay. But you have to let me do what I can." She decided.

"I can do that." I agreed.

Later that afternoon after Scarlett played enough and ate a double scoop of cotton candy ice cream I drove them back to their apartment. It was an older building and they were on the third floor.

"Do you want to come in?" She asked when we made it to the door of her unit.

"I shouldn't. I'm supposed to meet my father and brother for dinner tonight. Once a month my father makes time for dinner with just us." I told her. It would also provide me with an opportunity to talk to my father about Elena's predicament.

"Okay, thank you so much for today. For everything." She said standing in the doorway. Scarlett had rushed into the living room and I could see her head just barely over the back of the couch as she watched some kid's show I didn't recognize.

"Don't thank me. I wish I could do more to help you." I said to her. We were talking low so Scarlett couldn't overhear us. The dynamic had changed between us since I offered to help her. She was looking at me differently and I wondered if she would let me kiss her. I really wanted to kiss her. I took a deep breath and leaned in. She didn't move until my lips touched hers. Her arms stayed locked at her side but she stepped closer to me so she could partially close the apartment door so Scarlett couldn't see. She kept the door partially open with her hand, the other one was on my stomach and I was unsure if she was trying to pull me closer or push me away. I kept the kiss innocent but long. I didn't try deepening it, but when I pulled back she was out of breath.

"Wow." She said shaking her head.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." I chuckled. She smiled at me and pulled the door open again.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said backing into the apartment.

"You bet. Have a good night Elena." I said. I waited until she was inside her apartment before I walked back down the stairs, buoyant from the best kiss I'd ever had.


	7. Chapter 7

**I am so so sorry for the wait on this. I feel terrible, but I just haven't done any writing at all for the past couple of months. Life got in the way and I didn't want to turn out something that I didn't believe in. I hope I haven't lost all of you and that you're still here waiting for an update. I promise next time there won't be as much of a wait as there was this time.**

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"So you're seriously trying to tell me that you kissed Damon Salvatore?" Caroline asked for the hundredth time that morning. We were sitting in the car in the parking lot of the university talking about everything that transpired yesterday. So far my illicit kiss with Damon was of the utmost importance to Caroline. She had total faith that the situation with Liam would sort itself out without me losing any time with Scarlett but the thing with Damon required all of her attention.

"Well Damon kissed me but yes. Damon and I kissed after he brought Scarlett and I home after lunch yesterday." I told her and she sighed dreamily.

"Of course you would get every girl on our campus's dream guy Elena. I'm so proud." She said.

"It doesn't mean anything. We're not dating casually or exclusively. He's going to help me with Liam but that's it." I tried to convince her. Caroline wasn't easily convinced, she was convinced Damon and I were some kind of soul mates or something. She said I had good taste in guys and wouldn't just kiss some guy that didn't have good intentions with me and Scarlett. She was right, but I was still convinced the kiss was a one-time thing.

"Was there tongue?" She asked for the first time. She had refrained from asking that question when we were with Scarlett. We didn't need to explain the concept of French kissing to my daughter.

"No, it was long but very chaste. I was impressed by his restraint." I admitted and she practically swooned.

"We better get out there. People are starting to arrive and you've already agreed to spend the morning with me instead of in the library." She said opening the door.

"I need a break from Shakespeare and I don't have that class today so I'm going to spend the morning with my best friend." I told her and she threw her arms around my shoulder as we walked onto the quad. I hadn't spent much time on the quad in the mornings and I could see why it was such a popular hangout.

"Well good morning there." Damon said falling into step beside us. He must have arrived just after we did. He didn't try to kiss me good morning which kind of proved that it was a one-time thing like I'd thought.

"So I hear you rescued my girls yesterday." Caroline started and Damon grinned and nodded his head.

"I did. I'd do it again in an instant." He answered as he kept pace with us. His friends were sitting at their usual table but he never strayed from our sides.

"Well I'm glad you were there. I would have felt horribly guilty if something would have happened with Liam and I wasn't there." She said and I smiled at her, squeezing her hand.

"Like I said it's fine. I'd do it again in a heartbeat." He promised and I had to smile at him. "Speaking of help, I talked to my dad."

"Oh? I really appreciate this Damon, but it's really not necessary. You don't have to put yourself out to help me. I've taken care of everything else on my own." I told him, not wanting to offend him but also not wanting him to think he was responsible for Scarlett and me. Just because I asked for his help once, didn't mean he always had to come to my rescue now. He didn't have to be our hero even though I sort of hoped that he wanted to be.

"I want to help you. I hate everything about that prick from what you've told me and I don't feel like he deserves any part of a life with Scarlett. You're not putting me out, in fact my dad wants to speak to you about it." He said and I smiled and shook my head.

"What can your father do? I need a lawyer not a governor." I asked and he smiled.

"See that's where my dad comes in. He was a renowned lawyer before he entered politics. He has an incredible streak when it comes to wins and losses. He never fails his clients and he said he'd be willing to talk to you to see if there is anything he can do. He misses being in a court room and arguing his cases with a judge and a jury. And if Liam wants to fight then my dad is the man to fight with if you want a battle." Damon told me and I sighed. As fearful as I was to accept his help, I knew I really didn't have a choice. Liam's dad had loads of money and could buy Liam a team of lawyers that would completely destroy me. I would have no one to fight for me, considering the only people who can defend me at all are Caroline and Mrs. Neal. I needed Damon and I hated to admit that.

"Okay, when do I speak to your father?" I asked giving him.

"He and my mother would like to invite you over for dinner tonight or whenever is good for you. My mom got all excited when I started talking about a girl especially since the relationship didn't start with sex. She put something together when I said that I wanted to help you with a legal matter. She thinks that if you weren't important in some way to me, I wouldn't want to help you like this." He said with a shrug.

"Tonight is fine, I think." I answered, butterflies fluttering around in my stomach.

"Of course tonight is fine Elena. You never have plans." Caroline scoffed and I shook my head and chuckled.

"She spoke. Tonight is good." I told Damon and he grinned.

"Perfect, I'll text my mom and she'll get something amazing planned for dinner. It's just what she does. Guests should be treated like royalty. She literally brings out the good china when we have dinner guests." Damon laughed.

"Tell her not to go to any trouble for Scarlett and me. We don't expect much and we don't need much." I told him.

"It's impossible to rein in Lily Salvatore." Damon said with a shake of his head before he stood up. "I better get going. I have to check out a book in the library before class. I'll catch you later."

"Elena loves the library, she spends every morning in there pretty much. She should totally go with you." Caroline piped up and I glared at her.

"Do you?" He asked and I laughed.

"I don't love it, but I do spend a lot of time there." I laughed.

"Well then come along. I'm not going to object to having a beautiful woman on my arm on my way to the library." He said holding out his arm for me to take. I smiled and shook my head but accepted his proffered arm.

"Have fun you two. You know at least have as much fun as you can in the library without naughty things happening." Caroline called after me and I had to stifle a laugh.

"Caroline is certainly an interesting character. I have a whole new respect for her knowing how she cares about you and Scarlett." He said as we walked through the library doors. Damon didn't strike me as someone who spent a whole lot of time in the library and it showed. He didn't know where he was going as I steered him through the turnstiles.

"Good morning Elena, have you recruited Damon Salvatore?" The librarian asked and I laughed.

"He came on his own but I'm just tagging along." I told her and she smiled.

"Well it's nice to see a new face." She said as we walked down the shelves looking for a certain book that Damon needed.

"Well at least now I know where to find you when you disappear." He said as his hand moved down my arm. I was kind of frozen, I hadn't had anything related to a boyfriend in years.

"Sorry." He said when he felt me stiffen.

"No, I'm sorry. It's just I haven't had anything with anyone in so long. You scared me, but if you want to hold my hand then I'm okay with that." I told him aware that I sounded really awkward. He didn't respond, he just took my hand in his and laced our fingers together. I smiled at the feeling of his hand in mine. It was something I hadn't felt since Liam and even that was different from this. Damon perused the shelves until he finally found the book he was looking for.

"Do you need anything?" He asked and I shook my head and together we walked back to the librarian. Everyone in the libraries eyes were on us and I hadn't had that much attention in a long time. It made me uncomfortable. They more or less ignored us when we walked in, but now that we were holding hands we were officially headline news. It wasn't what I wanted, but I still didn't let go of him. When we were finished, we went our separate ways, me to my lab, and him to his literature class.

"Care, you have to help me! What am I supposed to do?" I demanded as I frantically searched through my closet for something appropriate to wear to the Governors house for dinner.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Scarlett asked coming into the room dressed in the dress Caroline picked out for her. Scarlett took every opportunity to dress up. She loved fashion, and I was pretty sure that was Caroline's influence. I didn't have time to worry about fashion. I lived in jeans and henleys.

"Mommy can't find a dress to wear to dinner tonight." Caroline told her and I rolled my eyes.

"Why don't you go play until it's time to go? Auntie will help me." I told her and she nodded and left the room.

"Alright grasshopper, come with the master." Caroline said with a dramatic sigh as she pulled me to her bedroom.

Caroline was a miracle worker, she managed to make me look presentable in a black cap sleeved slim dress. It went almost down to my knees and it had lace covered cap sleeves. She called it her perfect meet the parents dress and she argued with me when I told her that's not what was happening. It wasn't a date and we weren't a couple. She just didn't understand that. She hooked my peep toes over her finger and held them out to me but I shook my head.

"I still feel like I'm overdressed." I said gesturing to my dress.

"You're going for dinner at the Governors house. You're not overdressed. Take the shoes." She told me and I sighed and slipped the shoes onto my feet.

"Fine." I said grabbing my purse, and the car keys. "Ready Scarlett?" I called and she came running out of her room where she was playing.

The nerves set in when I parked the car outside the mansion.

"Mommy are we going inside?" Scarlett asked and I nodded my head.

"Yeah." I said snapping out of it and unbuckling my seatbelt. Scarlett was out of the car before I was and I took her hand as we walked up the steps. The door opened before we even knocked and Damon was giving us a smile. It turns out I wasn't overdressed. He was wearing a black shirt and pants slightly dressier than the jeans and t-shirt he was wearing earlier. He made both look equally good.

"Come on in." He said and I offered him a smile and stepped inside.


	8. Chapter 8

**Here I am with another update. Far faster than the last one, that's for sure. I'm aiming for one update a week. Let me know what you think. Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween.**

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Damon led us deeper into the house until we came to a dining room with plates all set out. Damon's father was already seated at the table and I could hear sounds coming from the kitchen.

"You must be Elena. My name is Giuseppe Salvatore, it's good to meet you." He said standing up and offering me his hand. I smiled and clasped his hand and shook it. "And this must be your little girl."

"My name is Scarlett Rae Gilbert, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir." She said offering him her hand and he laughed loudly as he bent down and kissed the back of it which really excited her. Normally people just shook her hand, but now she felt like a princess.

"It's a pleasure to meet such a lovely young lady. Why don't the two of you take a seat and I'll check on my wife and dinner in the kitchen." He suggested. We sat down with Damon across the table from me.

"You don't have to worry about anything." He promised.

"So, when are we going to be talking to your father?" I asked.

"After dinner. My mother has a strict no business talk in the dining room rule." He told me, and I smiled. I felt like I would like his family.

"That sounds nice." I sighed. A few minutes later Damon's mom and dad came out of the kitchen holding our dinner.

"My name is Lily Salvatore it's so nice to meet the girl Damon can't stop enthusing about." She said shaking my hand. Before she could introduce herself to Scarlett, she beat her to it doing her usual routine. Stefan walked in a couple minutes later and came into the dining room.

"Sorry I'm late mom. I was at school late studying." He said before he turned his head and saw Scarlett and I sitting there. "Elena, I never expected to see you having dinner here." He said, and I smiled.

"Damon offered to help me with something, so here I am. This is my daughter Scarlett." I said, and he smiled.

"You have a daughter. So that's the secret I was missing out on all this time. It's nice to meet you Scarlett." He said as he took a seat beside Damon. Giuseppe and Lily took the opposite ends of the head of the table and everyone dished up their meals. When she finished Scarlett pushed her plate back and smiled at Lily.

"This dinner was delicious. Thank you." She said, and I smiled at Damon across the table. She was the politest child on the planet and I loved her to death.

"That child is amazing." Lily said with a smile and I had to agree with her. Once everyone was done, Lily stood up and collected everyone's plates.

"Shall we take this into my office?" Giuseppe asked, and I nodded and stood up.

"Would you like to come with me Scarlett? I haven't had a little girl around in a really long time." Lily asked, and Scarlett nodded and rushed away with Lily. I stood up and took a deep breath. "Will you come with Damon?"

"Absolutely." He answered, and we followed his father to his office. Giuseppe closed the door behind us and we sat down on the chairs on the other side of his desk.

"Why don't you start at the beginning and tell me everything." He asked, and I nodded and took another deep breath. "Don't leave out any details, anything could be important."

"Okay, well I met Liam during my rebellious stage. He was a few years older than me and I was trying to force my parents into giving me freedom. He was in college and I was still in high school. We saw each other for a while and my parents eventually forbade it. But that just made me want to see him more and eventually I slept with him. When I found out I was pregnant, I was scared. I didn't know who to tell or who I could trust. My dad is a renowned doctor in Mystic Falls and my mom is one of those moms who stays home but is a part of every council and every club a small town has to offer. I decided that the only person besides my best friend that I could count on would be Liam. He was the father of the child and I cared about him, so I went to his house. He thought I was there to have sex with him again when I showed up but when I said I was pregnant he flipped out. He told me to leave and to pretend we'd never met because he was not taking on a kid. He said he was in college and there was no time for a baby. He pretended I never told him so that I thought I couldn't do anything about it. My parents kicked me out when they found out as well." I told him. He was writing things down, when I stopped speaking he looked up at me. I didn't know when, but Damon took my hand during my trip down memory lane.

"What happened when you got kicked out of your parents' house?" Giuseppe asked, and I sighed.

"I moved in with my best friend and her mom. Caroline and Sheriff Forbes were the only reason I made it through high school and being a mom at such a young age. Caroline is still with me now and we raise my daughter together. She is Scarlett's Aunty Care." I told him.

"I'm glad you had someone like that to get through this together. Now have you had any contact with Liam? Did he call you to tell you he was taking you to court or did he have lawyers? Damon has told me a little bit about what's going on, but I need to hear a first-hand account." He said to me and I nodded.

"Liam called me a while ago asking to see Scarlett. He asked for shared custody, like half the holidays and a few weekends a year. I couldn't stand the idea of him taking any time with her after he just completely left me when I told him I was pregnant, so I said no to him. When I said that he got mad and said he would get to see her one way or another, whether he took me to court and destroyed me. Then a few days ago he showed up here at my babysitter's house demanding to see her. Mrs. Neal refused and called me, I had Damon drive me over to her house and we took Scarlett. I told Liam that he was never going to see her as long as I could help it." I told him, and Giuseppe nodded.

"What can you tell me about Liam? If there is anything we could use, then tell me." He said and I nodded.

"His name is Liam Davis and all I really know is that he backed out before Scarlett was even born. We never talked about him when we were dating so I know nothing about him. It was all about me and he got physical favours from me to listen to what I said. I know it's unhealthy, but it worked for me at the time." I told him.

"Davis? Of the Davis car dealerships, all around the country?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Yes." I answered, and Giuseppe just laughed.

"George Davis was my college roommate and we've been in competition since then. He opened dozens of car dealerships, I became governor. Not that that's important, but I am more in than I was before. I can't wait to defeat his son on behalf of you." He said with a smirk.

"Thank you. So, what do we do now?" I asked.

"Whatever you were doing before you found out you were going to court, do that again. Live your life exactly the way you have been up until Liam came back into your life. We need to show him that you have nothing to hide and you have nothing to change. You're the best mom in the world, you need to show him and his lawyers that. Your entire life is your daughter and school. Be that person." He told me, and I nodded.

"Thank you very much Governor Salvatore." I said.

"Call me Giuseppe and don't mention it. I've been waiting for a chance to get back into the courtroom for eons. Now I found the perfect excuse." He said, and I smiled at him.

"Thank you though. But I better get going. School tomorrow and I still have homework to do." I said.

"Of course. I'll be in touch. If Liam calls again, tell him not to call you anymore because you can't talk to him. His team can only talk to me. Damon will walk you out." He said. When we left the office, I heard Scarlett talking to Lily in the kitchen. They were sitting at the breakfast bar colouring when I came in.

"Scarlett it's time to go." I said to her.

"Okay mommy. Thank you for colouring with me." She said to Lily who smiled and kissed her cheek.

"It was my pleasure." She said as she started cleaning up the stuff. Scarlett took my hand as we walked back through the house with Damon. He walked us right out to the car and stayed while Scarlett put her seatbelt on.

"So, Damon…" I started, and he stopped me.

"No no no. Whatever you're going to say, just stop." He said.

"Your father said I should go back to living my life exactly the way I did before Liam contacted me. You weren't in my life then." I reminded him.

"I'm sure he didn't mean us." He said.

"Maybe he didn't, but I can't have Liam using you to beat me." I told him.

"So, you're breaking up with me even though we were never really dating?" He asked.

"I was hoping we could be friends." I told him, and he sighed.

"Alright, friends." He said with a shake of his head.

"What?" I asked forcing a smile onto my face.

"You're the only girl in history that could ever make me want to be just friends. I'll clearly take what I can get with you." He said leaning in and kissing my cheek.

"Thank you for everything Damon. In a different world, we would be together." I said, and he shook his head.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow." He said backing back up the front walk. I walked around the car and got inside.

"Mommy, can I ask you a question?" Scarlett asked.

"Always sweetheart." I answered.

"Is Damon going to be my new dad?" She asked, and I had to stop myself from stopping the car in my shock.

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't know. I really like him, it would be okay if you really liked him too." She answered with a shrug and I couldn't help the smile that started on my face.


	9. Chapter 9

_**I'm sorry about the wait but here it is. The next chapter is ready to go and will be posted next week. Thank you guys so much for the great response this story has gotten. It's been my favourite to write thus far so I'm glad you guys like it too.**_

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"Do you think me dating Elena would be bad for her case?" I finally gathered up the nerve to ask my father. He would be the only person who could possibly know the answer to that question.

"What makes you think that?" He asked looking up from a pile of Governor related paperwork on his desk. I hated disturbing him when he was working, but I needed to this time. I really liked Elena and I wanted her to be my girlfriend but then she tells me that she's supposed to go back to living life the exact same way she had been before me. I just need to know if I am included in that. If dating me could somehow cause her to lose Scarlett, then I completely understand and don't blame her at all for not risking it.

"It's just something that Elena said when she left tonight. She basically said you said to not change anything about her life at all. Live the exact same way she did before he ruined everything for her.

"Oh, yeah I did say something like that. But I didn't mean anything about the two of you. I just meant she should continue going to school, she should continue doing her Karaoke Girl thing once a week. Everything she does shows that she's a completely stable person who can take care of her own. When it comes to you, I think you would be good for them. It could benefit Elena's case to have you in her life because you care about Scarlett. Scarlett clearly likes you as well and the fact that it took you so long to get into their lives shows how protective she is. Everyone needs someone in their life besides in Elena's case her best friend and her daughter. A little romance will do her good. I think she's very good for you and I think you're going to be very good for her. No judge would ever expect her to be single for her entire life. He would be suspicious if she was. You're normal for her, so don't worry about ruining anything. You go ahead and convince her to be with you. Especially since your mother told me that she wants to see Elena and Scarlett around here more and more. She really loved having a little girl to play with today." He told me, and I smiled.

"Thanks dad. I'll let you get back to work now." I said.

"For the record son, I approve massively. I can't imagine someone more suited to be your girlfriend. She's perfect." He said, and I had to smile. I turned and walked out of the room and towards the stairs where I saw Stefan sitting.

"So how long have you been dating Elena Gilbert?" He asked me, and I laughed.

"Jealous?" I asked.

"No, but as my brother you should have told me, mainly because of my feelings for her best friend. I really like Caroline, but I can't speak to her because she's popular and I'm not." He told me.

"If you want to talk to Caroline, you have to do it yourself. I am definitely not going to help you hook up with the best friend of the girl I'm trying to date." I told him.

"Since when do you date girls? It's wrong to screw over a girl with a kid, especially when that kid looks like she likes you." Stefan said, and I shook my head.

"For the record, it's not like that with Elena. We've literally kissed only once, and I've held her hand once unless you count when she was nervous while we were talking to dad today. I'm in uncharted waters here and I may end up drowning, but I like it a lot." I told him, and Stefan shook his head and smiled.

"Wow, this is completely unheard of. Damon Salvatore actually liking a girl and caring about her for more than just sex?" He laughed.

"Yeah, you better get used to it. I'm going to be like this for a while." I said feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket and pulling it out. It was a text from Klaus inviting me over to his place for a couple beers.

"Hey man." Klaus said when I walked into his apartment. The usually all manly apartment was now covered in girly shit. There was an open suitcase sitting in the middle of the floor with all sorts of clothes tossed all over the place. There was some sort of makeup palette sitting on the coffee table and I didn't understand any of it.

"Hey, what's all this?" I asked.

"I don't have a spare bedroom, so this entire living room is Bex's bedroom." He said gesturing to all that was around him.

"Wow. I think to protect myself from all of this crap I would have just given her my bedroom if I were you." I said, and I laughed.

"I'm beginning to think that would have been a wise idea." He said.

"So, I'm kind of in a pickle." I told him, and Klaus whistled.

"Its girl related. Judging by the look on your face, you're in love and you're not sure how to make her love you back." He said, and I shook my head and chuckled.

"Damn you're good. I want to date her but she's afraid of it ruining certain things." I told him, not sure whether I should tell him about Scarlett or about the case.

"Well if you want to date her, you date her. Tell her it won't screw anything up between you. Promise her you'll take care of her and then everything should be good. Don't take no for an answer and go over to her place immediately. I know it's late but if you've already talked to her about it tonight, then the conversation will still be fresh. Do not procrastinate." He told me, and I laughed.

"For a guy who doesn't do relationships, you sure do have some really good insight." I told him.

"I know I do. I learn this shit from my sister. She's totally the romantic type and she's in her perfect relationship with Donovan. You go talk to your girl right now." He ordered, and I stood up and grabbed my keys.

"Alright, fine. Thanks for the wisdom." I said, and he saluted me as I walked away.

I made the drive to Elena's apartment slowly, ready to change my mind at any time. I wasn't used to putting myself out there, usually it was just sex. It wasn't like that this time. When I parked there were still lights on in her unit. I just wasn't sure if it was her or Caroline. The front door was unlocked so I walked into the building and up the stairs to the apartment that I remembered to be Elena's. I knocked softly knowing that Scarlett was probably asleep at this late hour.

"Who is it?" She asked from the other side softly.

"It's me, Damon." I responded. She quickly opened the door and stared at me.

"What are you doing here? It's 11:30." She asked me, and I took a deep breath.

"I just had to come here and tell you that I need to be with you. I really care about you, enough to have asked my father if I could screw up your case. He said I wouldn't. My parents love you and your daughter. I really like you and I really like Scarlett. Please, Elena just let me try this with you." I told her very aware at how pathetic I sounded.

"Scarlett spent all evening trying to convince me to date you. Caroline would have too but she's out tonight with some guy she met at the bar one night. She said she's surprising him at his place which is a decidedly not Caroline thing to do. She said she's not coming home at all tonight." She told me.

"I think you should listen to your daughter." I told her, and Elena sighed in response.

"I really wish I could Damon, but I'm just afraid. What if Liam finds a way to use you against me in the fight for Scarlett? I can't lose her Damon." She said her me, her eyes showing how tormented by this she was.

"He can't use me against you. There is nothing in the rules that says you can't have a boyfriend. I asked my father if it would screw things up and he said that it wouldn't. That it might actually be good for it." I argued.

"I wish I could believe that. I really do, Damon. But I'm just afraid and I don't need anything else on my plate right now." She insisted.

"So, I would just be another thing you have to make it through?" I demanded.

"No, absolutely not. That is not what I meant Damon. No matter how good it would be between us, it's just a really bad time for it. I want to be with you Damon, really, I do. I want it more than you can ever know, it's just with everything going on it's a really bad time." She pleaded with me. I could see the truth in her eyes and I hated that I was putting her in this position, but it didn't change my feelings.

"I could help you through all of this." I promised her.

"I know, it's just I can't be a good girlfriend to you right now. Maybe once the court situation is over, but for right now I can't even imagine being a girlfriend. I can't let anything get in the way of the fragile balance my life has. It's too much." She said.

"So, I am a burden." I stated.

"No, Damon it's not like that. Will you just give me time to figure some stuff out. You can't even begin to imagine how badly I want to be with you, it's just the timing couldn't be more wrong." She pleaded. She reached out and took my hand, holding it tight making sure I can't pull away.

"So, all you need is time? When you make it through this, then you'll consider being with me?" I asked her carefully.

"Yes, the second this is over I will run straight into your arms and never let you go." She told me seriously and I nodded my head. It wasn't ideal, but I could understand where she was coming from.

"Okay, let's do this. I will be your friend until such a time comes that this whole custody thing isn't hanging over your head. It's going to suck but I will be whatever you need me to be until it's all over with." I told her, and she smiled and laced our fingers together with a smile.

"Thank you, Damon." She whispered, stepping closer to me. She wrapped her arms around me and buried her head in the crook of my neck.

"You're the only girl on the planet that's worth this to me." I told her, and I felt her smile against my neck.

"Thank you for everything Damon." She said before pulling back. She took a deep breath and stepped up onto her tiptoes, so she could press a feather light kiss to my lips. It was brief, but I still felt the jolt of electricity between us. When she pulled back I took a deep breath and shook the cobwebs out of my head.

"I should probably head out. I'll see you at school tomorrow." I told her.

"Goodnight Damon." She said as I walked down the stairs. I heard her door shut moments later and I walked out to my car, ready to head home and wait as patiently as I could for Elena to be ready for me.


End file.
